August 21 th

Arm Struggle Intensifies in Semiram Esfahan

Six days after the start of an arm resistance in Semiram still the situation
is chaotic and out of control. City of Semiram is still under siege and all
the shops remain closed. Government arm forces who have tried to take back the control of the town have failed to do so. People have put up a fierce armed resistance against the government forces. People have stopped going to work. Majority of the shop owners in opposition to government and in solidarity with the other people have covered the front entrance of their shops with a black curtains.

United people of Semiram want General Zolfaghari the main perpetrator of the Sunday&Mac226;s killings to be arrested and brought to justice. Las Sunday when five tribe leaders who went to the city hall to discuss some of the disputed land issues with the local authorites, were badly insulted and put under arrest. After this incident to free the ones who were arrested, people who were waiting outside of the building, especially large crowd of tribeswomen started attacking the city-hall building. Zolfaghari who was armed at the moment shot and killed Naderi, one of the tribe leaders. This ignited a heavy gun battle between people on one side and the government forces on the other side. People set fire on Zolfaghari&Mac226;s car and started smashing the furniture inside the building. Zolfaghari himself managed to escape.

Some of those who were wounded were later taken to a hospital in Shahreza. Eight of them are in critical condition. Yesterday one of the wounded died in Sajad Hospital in Shahreza. The government has kept the names and identity of the person secret. One more person who later died in the hospital has already been identified, he belongs to Ghasghaie tribe. The government is refusing to handover the bodies of the ones who have died during the fighting. People in the region insist nullifying the re-mapping of the region&Mac226;s lands. They want and demand justice for General Zolfaghari who directly has been behind all the killings which took place on Sunday.

&Mac183; Semiram is part of Esfahan province in south central Iran with a population of 100000 .

Organisation of Iranian People's Fedaii Guerillas
A.C.P
Postfach 12 02 06
60115 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Fax: 00-49-221-170 490 21
E-Mail: organisation@iranian-fedaii.de
Web Site: http://www.iranian-fedaii.de